The Vampire Diaries: The Midnight Chronicles
by Mina Valentine
Summary: This story starts off from mid season 3 of TVD: Couples I have paired: Damon/Elena, Caroline/Stefan stefan has returned to mystic falls, but has lost the person he used to be. He denies his feelings for Caroline, and doesnt realize he's in love with her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This chapter starts off from season 3 of TVD, when Stefan comes back to town and has gone bad. I fell in love with the idea of Stefan with Caroline, ever since I started noticing their chemistry from season 2 when she turned. Anyways…here is **_**their **_**story : ) **

CHAPTER 1

**CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED**

"Stefan you can't just go around trying to out wit Klaus in every step he takes, he's too dangerous and as bad as you want to be the _'bad guy' _right now, you don't have the manpower he does." Elena said, as a frown formed on her face.

Stefan stood up from the sofa and slowly paced around the Gilbert living room.

"I'm really done with your _talks_ Elena, why invite me over and waste your breath when you already know I don't give a damn about what you _want _me to do. " Stefan's voice was cold. He kept his stone blocked eyes fixed on Elena, who looked a little hurt by his response. He was fully aware that he was hurting her. But he had no other choice. It was for Elena's own good that he distant himself from her.

"Stefan _be reasonable-_"

"I'm a _vampire_ Elena-" Stefan paused for a moment and threw on his jacket. "There's nothing _reasonable or sensible _about the lifestyle, much less my existence." He turned his back as Elena listened to his footsteps trail off behind him. Stefan reached out and touched the door knob, pausing for a brief moment, before twisting it and leaving.

"And do me a favor Elena, don't call me…_I'll call you_. I'm sure my brother is doing just fine being the superman of Mystic Falls."

Before Elena could even respond, Stefan was out the door and gone. He left the door open as it slightly swung back and forth. Feeling weighed down by her heavy heart, Elena stood up and retraced Stefan's steps. She felt haunted by him now, caught between the ghost of who he used to be and the nightmare of who he was now. She shut the door carefully and locked it before she made her way to her bedroom. It was late and Elena was mentally and emotionally exhausted. The fiasco surrounding Klaus was draining everyone, and now that Jeremy was out of the house, it made Elena feel even lonelier, but she knew it was for her brother's own good. Getting Damon to compel him wasn't an easy decision, and she knew Jeremy would be furious at her if he ever found out what she did, but the way Elena saw it…she had no other choice.

It was past one by the time Caroline got home. She was hanging out with Bonnie and Matt at the Mystic Grill to get her mind off her breakup with Tyler. Things always seemed to be going down the drain when it concerned Caroline's love life. Her mother wasn't home, which meant she was probably working the graveyard shift that night. Caroline switched on the light in her bedroom and took off her jacket. Klaus's birthday gift was still resting on her nightstand. She glanced at the name tag on the slender black jewelry box and sighed. She still couldn't shake off the memories of her close to death experience from the weekend before when Tyler had bit her. Everyone was dealing with so much stress, built up fear and anxiety, all because of Klaus…and yet, he saved her life. She found herself walking over to her nightstand and began to open the jewelry box. Caroline's fingers brushed over the white gold necklace. She definitely had a very expensive gift within her possession, which only meant that Klaus had very expensive taste. She wondered what he hoped to gain from this gesture. Feeling suddenly annoyed by the situation, Caroline snapped the box shut, placed the gift back on the night stand and quickly turned around before giving it another thought.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies _closer_." Caroline said, as she walked into her bathroom. She was undoing the pins in her hair when she felt a draft come in from her bedroom window. She stepped out of the bathroom and noticed that no one was there, but her window was wide open and the silk white curtain was dancing in the wind. She felt her guard go up almost by instinct as she shut the window and turned at super vampire speed to wrap her hand around the throat of the assailant. Her eyes transformed from greyish blue to crimson black as she bared her fangs.

"_Stefan?"_

"Easy on the choke hold Caroline, it's useless on a vampire…you know, being _dead and all. I thought I already taught you that._"

Caroline grimaced and slowly, but cautiously let go of Stefan's throat. Her eyes returned to its usual forecast of clouds floating over an ocean.

"What are you doing here?_ And why did you come through my window?" _She asked him. It had been so long since she was alone with her former "trustworthy friend". She reflected back on all the times Stefan spent training her, to ensure her safety and survival as a newly turned vampire; those memories seemed so long ago now. Caroline wondered if he even remembered any of that, or had he pushed it back deep into depths of his meandering, fading humanity. "Since when did breaking and entering become _your thing?_ Are you learning trademark Damon behavior? or is that something you picked up from _Klaus_?" she added, taking a step back. It was always in Caroline's nature to dramatically emphasize things.

Stefan smirked at Caroline and crossed his arms against his chest. He leaned back on the wall and raised one foot up to rest against it.

"I'll have you know that the breaking and entering part was picked up _from me_. I'll admit it was rather annoying watching my brother _attempt _to be like me when he first came to this boring old town-"His eyes locked onto Caroline's. "I'm sure you remember that, don't you Caroline? After all, he _did_ seduce you, and use you, feed on you like you were some two dollar blood bank, _and_ knowing Damon, he did the whole _wham bam thank ya ma'am_ and dropped you like you were yesterday's blood type of the week. "Stefan's foot kicked off the wall, as he began to pace around Caroline. "That's vampire humor by the way, or do I need to explain that to you too?"

Caroline frowned and masked the hurt. She wasn't used to this new Stefan. Or was he the "old Stefan"? Was this the Stefan that existed before Lexi rehabilitated the humanity back in him? She didn't know, nor did she want to analyze it at that moment. "Nothing humorous about it Stefan, Damon _clearly_ has douchebag tendencies, now I know where he gets it from" She plastered on a sarcastic smile and responded sharply; "Runs in the family."

Stefan chuckled silently and took a seat on Caroline's bed.

"You know what I like about you Caroline?"

She ignored his question. "What do you want Stefan?"

He ignored hers and continued. "Well, aside from your bangin' body, which I wouldn't mind to-"

"_DO NOT go there!" _Caroline interjected.

He laughed and stared down Caroline's glare, keeping his smile even, unwavering and confident. Stefan stood up and stood in front of Caroline, who now had her arms crossed against her chest. He leaned in a bit and finished what he started; "your _narcissism._"

Caroline looked back at him as a look of confusion began to form on her face. "Wow Stefan, _that's a big word._ I'm surprised you didn't lose half your brain since you lost half your manhood. "Caroline scoffed.

Stefan smirked back at her, his eyes never leaving her face. "Define manhood, because I can assure you…." He suddenly pushed Caroline back against the wall and pressed himself into her body, trapping her between the wall and himself. "-nothing is lost in that department."

"I'm not narcissistic"

"Oh come on Caroline, you were _oozing_ with narcissism before you turned and it still drips off of you thicker than blood. Not that I mind though, it's great for self-preservation." Stefan's voice was low and provoking.

"I think you have me confused with your bitch ex Katherine." Anger began to surge through Caroline's veins as she pushed Stefan off her. He laughed while she patted down her dress, to fix the creases.

[soundtrack inspired for scene]

**Robert Pattinson –Let me sign**

.com/watch?v=cdIcP12Kd5k

She met his eyes and held his gaze for a moment. Those familiar forest green eyes, still there; his soft gentle smile held no warmth anymore, only wicked cruelty. His face was incredibly deceptive to those who didn't know him, _the real him. _She questioned whether the Stefan she knew was _his true self. _What if he was trying to be something he wasn't, all this time…what if this was his true nature? No, it couldn't be. She remembered him telling her that when humans turn, their most dominant human emotion becomes amplified as a vampire. Stefan was always caring. She didn't know who this person was, standing in front of her. She felt hot tears swell up and cloud her vision. Her voice cracked a bit as she parted her lips to speak;

"_What happened to you Stefan_?"

Something was twisting and cutting at his insides as he watched a tear fall from Caroline's face. Something _deep_ inside Stefan's clouded mind was causing him self-inflicted tortured; emotional turmoil. He felt like he was drowning under a frozen sheet of ice, and could not get out. He could see himself, pounding with his fists to get free from the cold and freezing waters that had submerged his body, pulling him deeper below, making the light from the surface fade more and more, and the harder he was forced below, the harder it was to swim back up. The shallower Stefan sunk, the shallower he became, and that little flickering flame of humanity only dimmed more so, until there would be nothing left but smoke floating from the burnt out candle in his heart. _Lights out._

"Let's skip the whole shrink deal Caroline, Elena is already volunteering on a daily basis for that position."

Caroline quickly wiped her tear away and waited for him to get straight to business.

"I came here to warn you."

"_Warn me_?" she answered back.

Stefan was about to continue, when something caught his eye. He glanced over at the black box that Caroline had left on her night stand. It still had Klaus's name written on a white tag on top of it. He turned the direction of his conversation as quickly as his eyes turned their attention back onto Caroline's worried face.

"Is it just me, or did Santa _Klaus_ decide to go "hip" this year and try something innovative with his name? Not to mention delivering _a month late_- "He kept his tone sarcastic and arched an eyebrow teasingly at Caroline. She realized what he meant and tried to answer back as Stefan's eyes were filling up with suspicion.

_**Why is Klaus suddenly trying to get close to Caroline?**_ He thought to himself.

"He left it here when he fed me his blood to save me from-"she was about to say dying. "-from Tyler's bite." but decided not to.

Stefan walked past Caroline and gave the jewelry box one last glance. "If I were you Caroline, I'd toss it. Klaus is up to no good, and knowing him for as long as I do, you're just another pawn on his bloody chess board. "

"Is that what this has become to you? _A chess game?_ Just going back and forth trying to get him in a stalemate?"

"No" Stefan replied casually. "_Just_ trying to get him in a _checkmate_." He finished.

Caroline ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "So what's this _warning_ that you had to break in through my window to tell me?" she was growing impatient with his nonchalant attitude.

He stopped at her door way and walked back to face her, leaving only inches of space between their feet. Stefan pulled back a strand of golden blond hair and wrapped it behind Caroline's ear. She stared into his eyes, desperately trying to read them, but the only energy Stefan was giving off was completely cold and unpredictable. She wanted to take comfort in his warm earthy green eyes, but she found none, it was like an iron mask. She had no idea how he was doing it. But it dawned on her then that everything had changed about him. That brilliant green forest had burned in his eyes, and all that was left was ash. It hurt her heart to admit the sad truth.

"He's going to use you Caroline, as leverage over me, and well, I came to warn you and let you know that I won't allow _anything_ or _anyone_ get in the way of my ultimate goal, killing the hybrid bastard. So don't expect me to come saving your life when he threatens me with it."

Caroline was silent, and didn't know whether to feel more hurt, angry or shocked. Stefan flashed another false subtle smile and took a few steps back. He talked with his hands as he walked backwards to her bedroom door. "Don't bother; I'll let myself out…_Consider yourself warned._"

She stood alone in her bedroom, trying to absorb the entire conversation she had with Stefan. Caroline was exhausted and hurt by Stefan's words. She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked back into her bathroom. Tomorrow would be another day…another day of hell.

_**When is this nightmare going to end?**_She thought.

Armin Van Buuren ft Jessie Morgan - Love Too Hard (Original Mix)

.com/watch?v=x3dBvgW1Umo

to be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**ATTENTION ALL STEROLINE FANS**

**I WILL BE WRITING AND INCORPORATING A STEFAN/CAROLINE ROMANCE IN THE CURRENT STORY I AM WRITING**

"**ELIJAH AND ELENA: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: WICKED GAMES"**

**ITS HARD TO WRITE TWO SERIES AT THE SAME TIME WITH MY BUSY SCHEDULE, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASIER AND SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING IF I INCORPORATED THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND ROMANCE IN THE PLOT OF THE CURRENT STORY I AM WRITING. **

**I MIGHT CONTINUE WRITING THE MIDNIGHT CHRONICLES WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THEIR WILL BE STEROLINE ROMANCE IN 'WICKED GAMES" SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, CHECK OUT THE CHAPTERS. **

**AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER I WILL LIST IF STEFAN AND CAROLINE ARE IN IT, TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO READ THEIR STORY MORE **

**THANKS FOR READING AND SPREAD THE STORIES!**

**MUCH LOVE**

**~Mina **


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